Jorge Garcia Nunez put on a FLEFF workshop yesterday about La Poderosa Media Project. The project's mission, as stated on their website, is " is to encourage youth empowerment, cultural empathy, and collaborative learning through community based visual arts programs in Latin America and the United States."

Kristen Tomkowid: Why did you choose to become a part of La Poderosa Media Project?

Jorge Garcia Nunez:For a long time I was part of projects involving media literacy in underserved communities in México, and when the opportunity of creating a larger project with a bigger geographical scope arose, I immediately took it. I believe it is very important to give young people in Latin America the opportunity to use both the technology and the discursive tools to express themselves and find their own voice to create messages relevant to them, so they engage actively in the production of meaning in their societies.

KT: What is your role in the project?

JG: Officially I am the Curriculum Director, and my job is to coordinate the creation of all our original pedagogical materials of our three programs: the language and culture program, called "Nuestra América", the filmmaking program, called "Telling Your Own Story", and the distance education program. I also look for and hire the instructors of each course we offer, and oversee the functioning of everything related to the courses in the field. As part of the "Telling Your Own Story" program, I am the instructor of the script writing module: I basically guide students through all the stages from the premise of the movie until the final script. I occasionally teach the production design module. Finally, once in the field, I help coordinate the whole project.

KT: Why are you doing FLEFF?

JG: Since La Poderosa Media Project is a blenden concept of film and eduction, FLEFF is the perfect venue to tie both components together.

KT: Would you do it again next year?

JG: Of course! It is a great opportunity for us to get to know and collaborate with a lot of interesting people.